Israelite Wisdom Literature and the Book of Proverbs: Hermeneia Commentary Project
The research plan for this project connects two approaches to the book of Proverbs that have long been treated separately from each other: (1) an analysis of the book of Proverbs against the background of ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature and (2) an investigation of its interconnections with other biblical texts. The latter approach was the topic of the DFG-funded project “Discursive Wisdom,” which was completed in 2012. The research plan is connected to current book projects such as a commentary on the book of Proverbs for the American commentary series Hermeneia. The first volume of the German version of the commentary was published in the series Biblische Kommentar.
Recent presentations and publications:
Bernd U. Schipper, Sprüche (Proverbia) 1-15 (Biblischer Kommentar Altes Testament Bd. 17/1), Göttingen 2018.
Bernd U. Schipper, “The Concept of Wisdom in Prov 30 and Its Significance for the Composition of the Book of Proverbs,” paper presented at the Colloquium on Translating Sacred Texts, Harvard Divinity School, March 6, 2014.
Bernd U. Schipper and D. Andrew Teeter, eds., Wisdom and Torah: The Reception of ‘Torah’ in the Wisdom Literature of the Second Temple Period (JSJSup 163; Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2013).
Bernd U. Schipper, Hermeneutik der Tora. Studien zur Traditionsgeschichte von Prov 2 und zur Komposition von Prov 1–9 (BZAW 432; Berlin/Boston: de Gruyter, 2012).
Bernd U. Schipper, “Twice-Told Proverbs and the Composition of Proverbs 1–9,” paper delivered at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), Baltimore, Md., Nov. 23, 2013.
Bernd U. Schipper, “The Phenomenon of Textual Coherence in Egyptian and Israelite Wisdom Literature,” paper delivered at the conference “Insights into Editing,” LMU Munich, March 15, 2013.